The CSG survey polled decision makers at the top 100 communication service providers (CSPs) in North America to determine the extent to which CSPs have transformed their operations and business models to become digital service providers (DSPs). The survey revealed three key factors that will enable CSPs to successfully deliver and grow revenue from providing digital lifestyle services: enabling content portability, settling charges and revenues among complex partner ecosystems, and driving revenue through cloud- or machine-to-machine-based services. Key results include:

31% of telecommunications organizations and 44% of cable organizations said enabling content portability was key to becoming a provider of digital lifestyle services, but many of them also felt the components of that portability—personalization, device authentication, and multidevice access to content from a single account—posed serious challenges regarding the ability to drive profit from digital content

62% saw growth in digital content delivery coming from business services, such as cloud-based or machine-to-machine-based services

66% estimated a 50% or more increase in the number of content partners that require revenue settlement capabilities over the next three years, and 39% cite the ability to settle those revenues and charges as a primary hurdle to clear in order to achieve successful and profitable digital content delivery

54% note the importance of managing network traffic sources in real-time as a top capability needed in their revenue management system, followed by multichannel sales support

“Service providers of all stripes are in the midst of monumental business transformation to ensure their networks, billing, and operational systems can keep pace with changing—and growing—consumer demand,” said Chad Dunavant, vice president of product management, at CSG. “The increased need for portable video content, apps, music, and more across a wide range of devices means the deployment of high quality systems to support the customer experience, revenue generation, and partner management is key to profiting from today’s digital lifestyle.”

A CSP's digital transformation involves so much more than technology. Crucial – and often most challenging – is the cultural transformation that goes along with it. As Sigma's Chief Technology Officer, Catherine Michel has extensive experience with technology as she leads the company's entire product portfolio and strategy. But she's also no stranger to merging technology and culture, having taken a company — Tribold — from inception to acquisition (by Sigma in 2013), and she continues to advise service providers on how to drive their own transformations. This impressive female leader and vocal advocate for other women in the industry will join Women in Comms for a live radio show to discuss all things digital transformation, including the cultural transformation that goes along with it.